Some of the villagers with their land titles.
KUCHING: Asajaya is in need of the Village Extension Scheme as the area is developing rapidly.
Assistant Housing Minister Datuk Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah, who is Asajaya assemblyman, called on the Land and Survey Department to consider extending the scheme for villages such as Kampung Sambir, second phase of Kampung Tambirat – the biggest village in Asajaya.
“In addition, a new bridge connecting Kampung Tambey and Kampung Baru warrants a Village Extension Scheme in the area too,” he said during a presentation of traditional village land titles and temporary occupation licences (TOLs) yesterday.
Abdul Karim said it is good to see many from the younger generation in the area have chosen to stay on in their villages with their parents, even if they work in the city.
“If they want to stay in Asajaya, they need space to build their own houses. We do not encourage them to build in existing traditional villages, so they need somewhere nearby to build their homes.
“Hence, the Village Extension Scheme is important in order to avoid congestion in the main villages,” he said.
He pointed out that the scheme is helping to fulfil the needs of villagers in Asajaya and hoped more villages would be involved.
“The government came up with this scheme for the benefit of villages that are growing. It enables children to stay close to their parents while being given the proper facilities, road access and so on to allow for comfortable living,” he said.
Abdul Karim also pointed out the high cost of building houses, especially for low income earners from the villages.
“Even though TOLs allow land owners to build their houses on the given land, the land owners will still have to consider the construction costs. They need at least RM50,000 to build a basic low cost house. With little savings, it will take them time to be able to afford to build their own house.
“Therefore, the government might consider issuing land ownership titles straight away instead of TOLs to assist the villagers in changing times and rising costs, as TOLs may no longer be suitable for the Village Extension Scheme,” he said.
He also advised the villagers not to sell their land for short-term gain but to think how the land could be put to good use for generations to come.